As a first-time mom, 37-year-old, Anjana Gupta of St. Joseph didn’t expect to deliver her baby five weeks early. Throughout her pregnancy, Anjana and her baby required additional monitoring and she was admitted to Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph four times between May 1 and 17. When she arrived the final time, doctors told her it was time to deliver.
Every time I was admitted to the hospital it was a great experience. I was so comfortable, and the nurses answered all of my questions.
Anjana delivered Alice Kumari Brown via caesarian section on May 17, 2019. Five days after labor, Anjana was able to be discharged home. But since her daughter was delivered prematurely, she was not able to eat on her own yet and needed to stay at the hospital a little longer. Fortunately, if mothers are discharged before their newborns, they can stay until their baby is released too. Anjana and her husband were able to remain by their daughter’s side until they brought her home–which meant the world to them as first time parents.
While Anjana appreciated her entire care team, it was the interaction with the nurses in the nursery that meant the most to her.
“They were always supportive. They encouraged me to take breaks, and I received incredible training on how to care for a premature baby. We’re not used to having a four-pound baby, so the education they provided was incredible.”
Lactation consultant, Denise Lendardson, RN, met with Anjana every day. All the nurses were also trained to help with breastfeeding. Within those four days, Anjana’s daughter went from syringe feeding to bottles to trying to breastfeed.
“I cried when we left, because I did not want to leave the nurses. Everyone was incredible. We knew we were in great hands.”
To learn more about Anjana's story, visit www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/gupta
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